1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a hay bale carrier, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an improved hay bale carrier for loading, transporting, and unloading round hay bales.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
Hauling round hay bales in the past has been a time-consuming process. A variety of different carriers have been developed so as to reduce the amount of time for hauling round hay bales. Most carriers have been designed to capture and transport one round hay bale at a time. For example, a forklift-like device has been used to pierce the round hay bale and place the round hay bale on a trailer. Other carriers can transport a plurality of round hay bales. However, these types of carriers require more than one operator to load, transport, and unload the round hay bales due to the size and weight of a single round hay bale. Typically, each round hay bale weighs several hundred pounds.
Other carriers have been designed to utilize the labor of a single operator. However, the operation of these carriers require the carrier to be stopped and positioned over or in front of the hay bale. In addition, some carriers require an entire load to be unloaded and then reloaded in order to load an additional hay bale. The stationary position of engaging and loading the hay bale and the process of unloading and reloading requires additional time in the process of loading, transporting, and unloading the hay bales.
To this end, a need exists for a hay bale carrier that permits an operator to load, transport, and unload one or more round hay bales. It is to such an apparatus that the present invention is directed.